To opt-in or to cop out: COP26 and the policy dynamics of decarbonising African cities.

The COP26 Glasgow Climate Pact appears to have kept alive the ambition of restricting temperature rises to 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels. However, developing countries must translate the agreements into specific policies and change instruments in their home countries. Carbon abatement agreements and the responsibility for financing climate change actions may be inimical to Africa's fragile economies which are often dependent on natural resources and carbon-emitting activities. The Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF) helps to evaluate the policy subsystem to explain how coalitions' beliefs and resources can be channelled towards policymaking for the decarbonisation of African cities. Specifically, we use the ACF to review international cities coalitions and the Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program (AAAP) to explore the interactions and institutional settings needed to negotiate, agree and implement the Glasgow Climate Pact for decarbonising African cities